Roundup: Asia-Pacific countries step up efforts to combat COVID-19, Philippines puts entire main Luzon island under quarantine
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E-mail Xinhua, March 16, 2020
HONG KONG, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Asia-Pacific countries are ramping up measures to combat the COVID-19 on Monday as the number of confirmed cases of the pandemic keeps mounting.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea reported 74 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Monday local time, raising the total number of infections to 8,236.
The newly confirmed cases stayed below 100 for the second consecutive day, after recording the first double-digit growth in 23 days on Sunday.
South Korea expanded tighter immigration procedures to people from all European countries on Monday to help prevent the imported COVID-19 cases.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a government meeting that special immigration procedures began to be imposed on all people arriving from the entire Europe at midnight.
South Korea already imposed the tighter immigration procedures on nine countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands as well as China, Japan and Iran.
Under the intensified procedures, all entrants, both South Korean and foreign nationals, will be required to get fever checks and submit papers on health conditions at airports. They will also be required to download a self-diagnosis smartphone app to submit self-diagnosis results for 14 days and to be placed under intensive care if they show symptoms.
JAPAN
Japan's health ministry and local governments said on Monday the number of COVID-19 infections stood at a total of 812 in the country as of 6:30 p.m. local time.
The death toll currently stands at a total of 32 people, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.
According to the latest statistics, eight new infections were confirmed in Hokkaido, Niigata, Gunma, Hyogo, and Shiga prefectures.
MALAYSIA
Malaysia on Monday announced 125 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 553, said the Health Ministry.
Of the new cases, at least 95 had been traced to a large scale religious event held in the capital of Kuala Lumpur from late February to early March, Health Minister Adham Baba said in a statement.
AUSTRALIA
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia increased almost 20 percent in a single day, from 249 on Sunday to 298 Monday morning, with the number of deaths has growing from three to five after two elderly people in New South Wales died over the weekend.
The governments of Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have all declared the virus a public health emergency, giving them additional powers to prevent its spread.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison instructed the nation to brace for more extreme coronavirus containment measures, saying a ban on nursing home visits could be introduced as early as Tuesday. He also flagged a major national awareness campaign targeted at children.
Parliament is set to resume on March 23, with the government to introduce legislation for its 17.6 billion Australian dollar economic stimulus package.
The government has issued a ban on non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people and Morrison on Monday said that Parliament would continue with a "skeleton staff."
THE PHILIPPINES
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire main Luzon island in the Philippines under "enhanced community quarantine" in a drastic bid to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the country, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Monday.
A total of 444 Filipinos aboard the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princes cruise ship docked in Oakland Port in California in the United States entered a 14-day quarantine at a facility north of Manila after they were flown back to the Philippines before dawn on Monday.
On Sunday, the Philippines had started implementing until April 14 a 30-day lockdown on Metro Manila to force people to stay home.
The Philippines now has 140 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 12 deaths.
THAILAND
Thailand on Monday announced 33 new COVID-19 infection cases, bringing the total tally to 147.
The Thai government is also planning to temporarily close venues that attract crowds of more than 50 people and postpone the traditional Songkran New Year holiday in a bid to curb the widespread outbreak of the virus.
INDONESIA
Seventeen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Indonesia, bringing the total number to 134 in the country, the government said here on Monday.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo disclosed that the government would not impose a lockdown in the country so far, but stressed the importance of reducing frequency of people's movements and gatherings, as well as keeping social distance.
INDIA
With three new cases, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India rose to 110 on Monday, according to the country's Ministry of Health.
The figure of 110 does not include the two deaths, one in southern state of Karnataka and the other in Delhi, and the 13 people who were successfully cured and discharged.
Among the infected people, 17 are foreign nationals.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan's tally of COVID-19 patients rises to 94 with 42 new cases already reported in south Sindh province on Monday, the provincial health ministry confirmed.
Most of the new cases are the pilgrims who recently returned from Iran and were quarantined in Sindh where they were tested positive of the disease.
Pakistan has recently revised its strategy to control the spread of the disease by taking more stringent measures, after a meeting of the National Security Committee. The new measures include ban on all kinds of social, political, entertainment, and unnecessary religious gatherings and closure of educational institutes.
VIETNAM
All Vietnamese and foreign nationals are required to wear face masks in public places such as airports, bus stations, supermarkets, and public transport vehicles in Vietnam from Monday, daily newspaper Vietnam News reported.
All passengers on domestic and international flights to and from Vietnam also have to wear face masks during their flights and their stay at airport terminals.
Vietnam has confirmed 57 cases of COVID-19 infection, including 20 foreigners, with 102 suspected cases and nearly 30,000 under quarantine in the country, according to its Ministry of Health.
AFGHANISTAN
The number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 21 in Afghanistan after five new cases were recorded, a spokesman of Ministry of Public Health said on Monday.
A total of 263 COVID-19 suspected cases have been tested in the country's national laboratories since mid February and one suspected case is still under investigation.
SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka's Police Department on Monday warned that a six month jail term will be given to anyone found hiding symptoms of the COVID-19 as there were individuals who had avoided going into quarantine centers after arriving from virus affected countries.
The police said the law will be strictly enforced against those who spread false rumors on the epidemic through social media. A total of 23 individuals had been arrested over the spread of such false information about the virus.
Sri Lanka so far has confirmed 18 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 with almost all of them being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital in the outskirts of Colombo.
Sri Lanka's Health Ministry has put in place several preventive measures by banning local pilgrimages and tours, banning all public events, closing movies halls, closing all safari parks, zoo's and museums and urging public to stay indoors as much as possible.
THE MALDIVES
The government of Maldives has allocated 13 million U.S. dollars from its contingency budget to finance precautionary measures to be taken during a 30-day State of Public Health Emergency amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Spokesperson of National Emergency Operation Center Mohamed Mabrooq Azeez said the 13 million U.S. dollars does not include donations and financial aid, adding that an additional 5,000 COVID-19 test kits have been brought in, bringing the country's total number of kits up to 6,000. This includes 1,000 test kits brought in by the World Health Organization.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Ali Waheed said that finances from the country's Tourism Trust Fund may be used to bring health equipment and technical experts into Maldives.
So far, 13 individuals, all of whom are foreign citizens, have tested positive for the COVID-19 in the country.
BANGLADESH
Bangladesh has decided to shut all the educational institutions in the country from Tuesday until March 31 in an effort to halt the spread of the COVID-19.
The decision came as the country confirmed three more new COVID-19 cases earlier Monday, taking the total to eight.
LAOS
Lao health officials said the country is still free of COVID-19.
The Health Ministry said Monday that the Lao National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control is ready to supply any necessary assistance and equipment to schools to prevent the outbreak of the COVID-19.
MYANMAR
Myanmar government issued a new statement regarding precautionary measures for travellers visiting Myanmar to contain the spread of the COVID-19 late Sunday.
The statement included banning travellers who had been in high-risk areas in the past 14 days and also Myanmar nationals who had been in those areas will be placed in facility quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
All incoming travellers including Myanmar nationals who have recently visited South Korea outside those high-risk areas are required to present Medical Certificates from the related health authorities to entry and will be placed in home quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
Recent travellers to Italy, Iran, France, Spain and Germany also need to present valid Medical Certificate from the health authorities of the respective countries to entry and will be placed in facility quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Myanmar.
Also on Monday, the Myanmar government starts shutting down all the cinemas throughout the country, according the announcement of the Ministry of Information.
Myanmar government claimed there was no cases of the disease so far till March 15 in the country. Enditem
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